Curses in Disguise
by StoneyT456
Summary: Billy is not okay and Freddy is determined to find out why.
1. Part One

**Hey guys! A couple of things before ya read this. 1.) I haven't written anything in a while and I wrote all of this today so please have mercy. 2.) I got to say it... I'm more of a Marvel fan so I know nothing about the comics. I am writing this based off the movie although I intended to binge all of the Shazam comics. 3.) This little fic is a four parter and it is complete. If y'all like it, I would love to write more in this 'verse because I love Billy and Freddy's relationship. But ya gotta let me know whether or not you liked it because this is all super new to me so I don't want to be screwing any of this up :). 4.) This is not a slash fic. If you've read any of my other stuff you just know that slash ain't my cup o' tea. **

**Anyway, hope you enjoy!**

* * *

Freddy pulled his jacket tighter around him as he pushed the doors open to the school, grinning as he did so.

Things had been different lately. Different in a good way. It had been four months since the whole 'seven deadly sins' fiasco and even though the world seemed to have forgotten about the six superheroes of Philadelphia, the students at Freddy's middle school had not forgotten when two certain spectacular superheroes had come and sat next to him during lunch.

Freddy walked down the hallway past the cheerleaders at their locker. "What's going on, Freddy?"

"Nothin' much, ladies." He said giving them little finger guns.

The girls smiled and Freddy returned it, saying hi to the others that have somehow noticed him after he was noticed by some of the coolest people in the world, well, in his opinion.

He sat down in the front of his biology class, taking the books out of his backpack when he first noticed it. Billy wasn't there.

Normally when Freddy walked in he could count on seeing Billy there, normally either rushing to finish the homework or sleeping, but this time he was nowhere to be seen.

Freddy turned to face the girl who always sits behind him. "Hi, Sandra."

"Hi, Freddy!" She smiled back.

"Hey, listen. Have you seen Billy today?"

"Who?"

Freddy frowned. "Billy. My foster brother?"

"You have another foster brother?"

"Yeah. I do. He sits right next to me."

A look of recollection came across her face. "Oh! That's your brother? I never knew that! I thought he was just like... your friend."

Freddy pursed his lips, "nope, he's my brother."

"But I thought you had two sisters and two brothers?"

"Right, but Billy is also my brother."

"Oh. It's a shame he missed you meeting Shazam and Superman. He must have been bummed."

Oh. That was it. People at the school only knew him and his family because of their meeting with the two superheroes. Billy obviously 'wasn't there'.

"Yeah..." Freddy said turning around back to the front of his desk and pulling out his phone. He quickly scrolled through his messages and found Billy's name, next to it a lightning bolt (something that they had both laughed about when he had done it as a joke, but Freddy had added it later).

'Dude, where are you?' he typed out, scanning the classroom again for his friend. He tapped his good leg while he waited for a response.

He felt the phone in his hand buzz and he flipped it over so quickly he almost dropped it. He opened the screen and saw a message from Mary about dinner that night.

He anxiously sat through the first ten minutes of class before he heard the classroom door being slowly opened. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Billy walk in, although his relief was short lived when he saw the state he was in.

There was a tear in the shoulder of one of his shirts and his lip was bleeding, a bruise forming on his cheek. He sulked up to the teacher and handed her a note, then quietly took a seat next to Freddy.

Freddy kept looking at him even after the teacher continued, a mixture of shock, anxiety, and frustration at not knowing what happened all boiled into one.

He quickly (and loudly) ripped out a piece of notebook paper and uncapping the pen with his mouth he scribbled a note to Billy asking him what had happened.

He quickly placed the note on Billy's desk where he sat with his head leaning on his folded arms and he quickly opened the note, only to shrug. He put his head back in his arms and Freddy rolled his eyes.

If he had to wait till the end of class to find out what was wrong with Billy he was going to, but be assured he was eventually going to find out.


	2. Part Two

Freddy cornered Billy as soon as class was over. "What the hell happened to you?" He asked as they walked towards Billy's locker.

"Nothing," Billy mumbled in response.

"Nothing, my ass. Who did you get into a fight with? Is there another supervillain? Do we all have to suit up?" He was getting animated now, his voice rising.

Billy shushed him. "No, Freddy. And keep your voice down."

Freddy frowned as the two stopped at the locker, Billy opening it and pulling books out. "Look," Freddy said stepping in front of Billy, "unless you went and beat up yourself, somebody had to give you that bruise." He pointed to the already purpling bruise of the side of Billy's cheek.

Billy just gave him a side-eyed look as he shut his locker door and started walking again.

"Look, I get it. But I thought we had moved past all the," he dropped his voice in tone and put his hand on his hip, " 'I work alone, I don't need a family' ", attitude."

"I don't have that attitude."

"Sure you don't. But this morning you literally left without all of us and then no one sees you until you walk in ten minutes late all beat up."

"Something happened." He stopped Freddy when he saw he was about to interrupt him again. "It wasn't superhero related."

"Was it school related?"

"Not school related, either."

"Well then what else could it have been?" Freddy asked.

"It was nothing."

Freddy stopped. "You are so annoying. Fine, you don't want to tell me, don't tell me. But have fun explaining your face to everyone else when we get home."

Freddy huffed and walked away, leaving Billy to walk to seventh period by himself and wonder what kind of great excuse he was going to have to come up with.

...

Turns out, he didn't need a great excuse. As soon as he walked in the door Rosa and Victor gushed over him.

"Were the kids at school bugging you again?" Rosa asked.

She whisked him away to the kitchen where Victor was getting the first aid kit. "You know, fighting is never the answer but we're proud of you for standing up for your brother."

"Uh, right. Yep." Billy added when he realized the two of them were looking at him.

"Oh." Rosa said pausing. "Freddy let us know what happened at school. He said some kids were picking on him and you tried to help him."

Billy stared at the spot where Freddy had just appeared from, staring at him. "He told you guys that?"

"Yes he did, son," Victor added taking a look at the bruise on Billy's cheek.

Rosa grabbed the shoulder without the tear in it. "And we're really proud of you, Billy."

The two of them smiled at him and fished looking at his face. The only thing they could really do was give Billy an ice pack and tell him to take it easy for the rest of the night. Billy went straight for his and Freddy's room.

"What was that about?" He asked as he walked in, sat on the bed and put the ice pack up to his face.

Freddy shrugged. "Well, since you weren't going to think of anything creative I thought I would."

Billy stiffened. "I would have thought of something."

"Sure you would have." Freddy scoffed. "Are you going to tell me what really happened now that I covered for you."

Billy eyed him skeptically. "Why does there have to be a catch?"

"Because apparently, that's the only way to get you to open up to me."

"Why can't you just leave it alone?"

"Because," Freddy paused, sitting next to Billy on the bed but not meeting his eyes. "You're my best friend and my brother and I don't like to see you hurt."

The two were silent for a second. Freddy laughed nervously. "I'm sorry to get all girly on you but I care about you a lot, Billy. That's what family does. And when I didn't see you today I thought that something had happened. Like, something bad."

"But it didn't."

"But it could have." Freddy lightly punched Billy on the shoulder, "we're superheroes now, dude. You never know what could happen."

Billy and Freddy smiled at each other.

Billy smiled. "I guess we are kinda badass superheroes."

"Kinda? We're not kinda, we are badass."

Billy laughed and Freddy smiled. "So will you please tell me what happened, now?" Freddy asked.

Billy sighed. "Do you promise not to tell Victor and Rosa?"

"Scouts honor."

"I went to see my mom again, today."

"You what?" Freddy yelled. "I thought that you were done with that whole thing."

Billy got a little angry. "No, I'm not done with the whole thing of my mom. I can't just 'be done with it'."

"I thought you said that she didn't want you."

"It's not... it's not that simple."

"It sounds pretty simple to me."

"She wants to get to know me."

Freddy scoffed. "Bullshit."

"No, for real. She said that she wanted to spend more time today but the only time that she was off was during lunch so I got to school early, turned everything in and then... checked myself out." Freddy frowned. He and Billy had agreed that it was in everyone's best interest if they stopped using Billy's 'Shazam form' to check themselves out in case people recognized him and wanted to know why he was hanging around the school.

"I thought you said we weren't gonna do that anymore?" Freddy accused.

"It was just this one time. She really sounded like she wanted to see me."

"So what happened?"

"Well I went to the restaurant she works at and we just... talked. I told her about my life with foster families and about school and... my new family."

"So did she give you the black eye?"

Billy frowned at him. "No, it was her douche bag of a boyfriend. He walked in and mom told him who I was and he didn't like that very much."

"Dude!" Freddy said leaning back. "You could have blasted his ass into next week."

"And then what? Have to explain to my mom and everyone else in the restaurant that how I magically transformed into a superhero? No, I just had to wait it out. It wasn't a superhero necessary situation."

Freddy frowned. "I still think you should have pummeled the guy."

"Hey, I got in a couple of good shots as Billy Batson, thank you very much."

"Sure you did." Freddy smiled.

The two sat in the quiet for a second. "Are you sure you're okay?" Freddy asked.

Billy smiled, placing his hand on Freddy's shoulder. "Yes. I promise."

But Freddy know he was lying. And Freddy had a sneaking suspicion that Billy knew that he knew.


	3. Part Three

As Billy's bruise faded, Freddy's shadow never did. Freddy was with him practically 24/7, watching to try and figure out what it was that was bothering Billy.

He was quieter, more reserved. He still engaged at the dinner table, still played dolls with Darla when she asked, still helped Pedro with his homework, still played video games with Eugene and gossiped with Mary, but there was something different about it all.

For one, whenever he wasn't engaged with one of them, he was in his room, on the top bunk just... sitting there. Sometimes he would be reading, sometimes listening to music, sometimes just sitting there, staring at the wall.

It was something that all of them had begun to notice, but had all silently agreed that Freddy should be the one to talk to him about all of it.

So Freddy watched and waited, trying to find the cause of Billy's behavior change.

As far as Freddy knew he didn't go back to visit his mom and there hadn't been anything on the superhero radar for a while. Freddy was at a loss as to what it was.

And then one day during lunch he saw it.

He wasn't even supposed to be in the library, he just happened to be in there because Pedro had asked him to grab a book for his history project.

He quietly walked through the school library and then stopped. He moved behind a shelve of books to get a better look.

He saw Billy, sitting at a table by himself eating his lunch, headphones in, not noticing anything. He was reading something, but Freddy couldn't see what it was, nor did he really care that much. What he did care about was the fact that Billy told him he was helping a teacher with a project for the week and that was why he couldn't sit with all of them at lunch.

Freddy thought about just walking up to him, but causing a fight in the library didn't seem like the smartest thing to do. Freddy instead just sat there and watched him for a while.

He looked sad. And lonely. Anyone who eats their lunch in the library usually is sad and lonely. But Billy wasn't sad or lonely.

He had Freddy and Darla and Mary and Pedro and Eugene and Rosa and Victor. And not to mention the fact that he was a super cool superhero.

There was no way he could be sad and lonely. Right?

But as he saw Billy silently eat his lunch by himself, he figured it was definitely possible.

...

Freddy launched his coordinated attack after school. Freddy had asked Billy to come to the 'lair' with him, something about doing a special training, or something of the sort when he cornered him.

"I saw you eating at the library today." Freddy watched Billy's face.

If he was surprised, he didn't show it. "Oh yeah," he rubbed the back of his neck, "I was helping Mr. Clemmons with this-"

"Cut the bull, Batson."

"Excuse me?"

"You've been acting weird all week."

Billy scoffed. "I have not."

"You have to."

"Have not."

"Have to."

"Have not."

"Have to."

"Have not."

Sometimes with all the things they had been through Freddy forgot that the two of them were only fourteen. It was moments like this he remembered.

Freddy threw his hands up in the air, his cane along with them. "You've been acting weird all month. You've been spending all these moments in solitude and been all sad and brooding."

"I guess with this stuff with my mom and-"

"You gonna pull the foster kid card right now?" Freddy asked, raising his eyebrows. "You can't just say that you've been upset because of that. There's something else, I know it."

Billy walked past Freddy. "Look, Freddy, why don't we just drop it, okay? I'll spend more time with the family."

"No!" Freddy moved back in front of him. "I know that you're not used to having a family but you don't just get to get around the problem. I don't care that you're taking some alone time, I care that you're obviously upset and you don't trust me enough to tell me about it!"

They were both yelling now. "I don't trust you enough? I told you about my superpowers!"

"You kinda had to, there," Freddy said sarcastically.

"What else do you want me to tell you about?"

Freddy rolled his eyes. "Everything!"

"Fine." Freddy was surprised when Billy just flopped down on the floor, sitting crosslegged. He looked up at Freddy.

"How about the fact that I spend years trying to find my mom and I find out she didn't want me? Or about how people at school still bully me because I never got to have a freaking superhero back me up during lunch. I try so hard not to just change once, just to teach them a lesson. But I can't, because I have to be responsible."

Freddy is speechless. He is about to try to form some sort of comforting phrase when Billy continues.

He takes a breath.

"Or that I'm failing history? Which is stupid and pointless because I'm a superhero who literally saved the entire planet but I can't remember Supreme Court Cases? How can I be expected to go to school and do well when I can't sleep because every time I close my eyes Sivana is holding my head underwater and I can't breathe and I can't say," he stopped himself, gesturing with his hands," the word and I can't get back up but somehow I can still see the sins as they kill you guys. First Darla then Mary, Pedro and Eugene and then you and I can't do anything to stop it."

Billy looks down and Freddy stares on as he hears Billy start to sniffle.

"I'm only fourteen years old." He wipes at his face aggressively. "I didn't ask for this. But I realized, maybe I deserve it, you know." He looks up. "All those years of pissing off foster parents, getting myself kicked out. It's only a matter of time before-"

He stopped himself.

Freddy decided if Billy was being brave so could he. "Before what, Billy?" He asked.

He looked up and met his eyes. "Before you guys kick me out too."


	4. Part Four

Freddy scoffed. He couldn't believe he had just said that. Now it was his turn to get mad. "You think after all we've been through we'd just kick you out? Do you think Victor and Rosa are those kinds of people? Really?"

Billy had half the energy Freddy had. He sulked his head down. "You said yourself, you like me better when I'm the other me. Soon you guys will catch on, Billy Batson isn't as great as you think I am."

Freddy walked up close to him and sat himself down, his bad leg spread out. "I never said that."

"You did. After we stopped the robbery at the gas station."

Freddy thought back. He did say something like that, didn't he? "But that was before I got to know and love Billy Batson as much as I love the other guy. I would still like you if you didn't have superpowers, Billy. He's still you, just taller."

"Would we have? I would have run away with your superman bullet, Rosa and Victor would have given up on me, and that would have been the end. The only reason I'm still with you guys is because I'm a superhero."

"Look, maybe if you hadn't of become Captain Glitter Hands we would not have been super close this fast, but," he paused, "we still would have been friends. The Freddy Freeman charm is impossible to resist forever. I'm best friends with Billy Batson, not the superhero."

Billy looked up at him. "The Freddy Freeman charm?"

Freddy shrugged. "I'm irresistible."

Billy smiled and Freddy beamed back at him. "Seriously, dude. Rosa and Victor love you. Mary, Pedro, Eugene, and Darla love you too. I love you. You're our family man. If it means that I have to remind you of that every three seconds then I will."

"You shouldn't have to do that." Billy frowned.

"But that's what a good brother does." Freddy paused. "Is this why you've been so quiet? Why you didn't tell me any of this sooner?"

Billy played with the strings of his jacket. "I had already put your lives in danger, I didn't want to add Billy problems to the list of things you guys have to deal with. I thought you guys would decide enough was enough. You guys have a kick-ass superhero team without me."

"We do have a kick-ass team," Freddy responded, "but it only works because you're on it. Besides," he said, "I'm your manager. That means your problems are my problems."

Billy blinked at him. "I don't know if that's what being a manager means."

"Meh." Freddy shrugged.

Billy smiled, standing up. When he got to his feet he offered Freddy his hand, helping him up. "Thanks, Freddy," Billy said sheepishly. "I guess I'm still getting used to this whole family thing."

"No, problemo dude."

...

It had taken a while, but things were finally getting back to normal. No, not back to normal. Better than normal.

Billy was acting like a member of the family again. Freddy had kept his promise to constantly remind him of how loved he was (this may or may not be the reason why Darla has drawn Billy a new glitter card every day for the past three weeks).

Freddy had also fixed the schooling situation. After he had almost killed himself trying to stand on the table, he announced that William Reginold Batson, which was most definitely not his middle name, was Freddy's brother and therefore under the protection of not one, but two caped superheroes.

Freddy had also gone to Rosa about Billy visiting his mom, a calculated move that could have ended badly had it not been for Rosa's super cool mom skills. All Freddy knew was that she and Billy had had a talk and afterward his mood seemed to rise dramatically.

Those were all the things Freddy could fix, but there were still some things that he couldn't. Freddy couldn't stop the nightmares. After their talk in the lair, he had stayed up one night and about one hour after Billy had fallen asleep he could hear his whimpers from the top bunk. At that moment his heart ached not only for his brother but also because how many of these dreams had he slept through?

Freddy couldn't stop them, but he could make sure to reassure Billy everyone was alright from the bottom bunk and if Billy ever needed to come down and sit with him he was always there.

Freddy would often think about the other thing that Billy said. That they were only fourteen. That the superpowers they had been given were a curse.

When Freddy sat with Billy at three in the morning as he cried on his shoulder after a particularly bad nightmare, Freddy would agree that Billy certainly did nothing in his life to deserve that.

But other moments, when he and Billy train together in the lair, when he saw the way Billy got excited when someone at school was talking about him, how geeked out Billy would get when he discovered a new power or met a new superhero, or when he thought about the profound bond he felt with Billy and his other siblings because of this secret they shared, sometimes he thought that maybe having superpowers wasn't so bad after all.

* * *

**Well... what did you guys think? I loved writing this to be honest, and I would love to do more with the characters. While I was watching the movie I just kept thinking about how if I had went through half of what these kids went through at fourteen I would be and emotional mess and I had the idea for this beauty. Let me know if you liked it, if you didn't, or if you just want to say hi in the comments or you can Private Message me too! **

**Thanks!**

**~StoneyT**


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